


Unending of All Endings

by TheProfessionalShooshPapper



Category: Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-24
Updated: 2012-01-24
Packaged: 2017-10-30 02:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/326656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheProfessionalShooshPapper/pseuds/TheProfessionalShooshPapper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This picks up where the movie left off. What happens when Alice arrives in the new land? Will she remember Tarrant? Will Tarrant get himself out of this spiraling depression?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this one because I watched the new Alice in Wonderland and didn't like how it ended. I figured I'd write my own ending. So here goes. I hope you like it.

An Irish man wearing a pink-ribboned top hat sat moping on the balcony in the White Castle.  
"Hatter," Mirana the white queen said softly "What's that matter? You seem so gloomy. The Bloody-Red Queen is banished, peace is restored. You should be celebrating."  
The Irishman continued staring off into space. After about 5 minutes of silence he whispered miserably, "I can't believe I let her go..."  
"Who, my dear?" questioned Mirana.  
"She's gone... My... Gone... It will be another 15 years at least until it's possible to see her..."  
Putting a hand on his shoulder, Mirana said gently, " Don't worry. I'm sure she is happy, wherever she is. You will see her again one day."  
"Hmm," was the sighed reply.  
Seeing that her point was not getting across, she walked away from the balcony, checking back halfway to make sure the ginger man was alright.

 

Alice was making her way overseas to China. The journey was quite easy, compared to her adventures in Wonderland. 'As soon as I get back from China, I will visit there again.' she thought. She walked to the front of her ship, thinking about her Wonderland friends. An odd feeling of forgetfulness started creeping over her. Counting with her fingers she thought, 'There were the two rabbits. There was the mouse. The White Queen. Bayard. Bayard's wife and 3 pups. The bandersnatch. The Tweedle Twins. And Absolem... Why do I feel as though I am missing someone?'

"Miss Alice!"

The shout broke her train of thought.  
"What is it, Revington!" she shouted, annoyed.  
"Land, milady! We have reached China!" he exclaimed excitedly.

 

"Hattah! It's been 3 days! Will ya quite yer mopin' and cheer up already!" Mallymkun yelled, "I don't know what's gotten inta you, but ya need to get back ta normal before we all go crazy!" And with that, she stormed off.  
Staring at his hands, he mumbled under his breath, "I had her in my hands... and I let her slip away... 'But you won't remember me,' I told her... She wouldn't listen... 'How could I forget you?' she said... That's what she said last time... She's gone..."  
After a minute, he clenched his hands, standing up, and shouting out in frustration. He pounded his fists on the balcony railing and frustratedly strode into the White Castle.


	2. Chapter 2

Have you ever had the feeling that you were forgetting something extremely important? Has this feeling ever bothered you so much that it was annoyingly distracting? And has this feeling ever made you feel uneasy, as if something horrible were going to happen soon unless you figured out what you had forgotten? Well, this is exactly how Alice felt as she moved herself off the ship, and into Hong Kong. It was almost a foreboding feeling.  
Turning to Revington she asked, "Um... Revington... How do you remember something you forgot?"  
"Well... How are you supposed to know what you've forgotten, if you can't remember what it is you forgot in the first place?"  
"...I guess you have a point..."  
"Don't worry. Everyone forgets things. You'll remember sooner or later. I'm sure of it."  
"Yeah. Let's just hope it's sooner than later..." Alice sighed.

The streets of China were nothing like England. In England, most houses were made of stone. Most of the houses in Hong Kong were made of metal. It was strange, seeing the different buildings. 'This is where I'll be for the next 3 years.' The thought made a shiver of excitement run down her spine. A huge, childish grin spread across her face. "Time to explore!" she announced.

 

As the Hatter rushed passed the small dormouse, Mallymkun, she yelled for him to stop. He slowly stopped and turned around.  
"What?" he said grumpily.  
"Are you mad?"  
"Mad? What a silly question. Even... she could tell I am."  
"No. Mad."  
"Yes. I am mad! I am 'The Mad Hatter' after all."  
"No! Mad! As in angry!"  
"Oh. You should have been more specific. No. I'm not angered." Hatter grumbled.  
Mallymkun's eyes lowered in annoyance.  
"Do I need to slice you," she insinuated, whipping out her sword, "Or will ya start tellin' me the truth?"  
"Alright. You want 100% honesty? I'm getting annoyed with all of your pestering. I know your trying to help, but it's not helping. I'm not mad. There's a difference between being mad and being upset. I need some time alone. Meaning, just me, myself, and I."  
Finished, he walked off down the corridor, leaving the dormouse dumbfounded. 'I'm sorry, my old friend, but I just need some peace and quiet...'

 

"Miss Alice! Hey! MISS ALICE!" came Revington's screaming from the doorway. She groaned, turning over and covering her head with her blanket.  
"Oh, no you don't!" Revington said, pulling the blanket off of her. Alice grudgingly sat up and rubbed her eyes.  
"What time is it?"  
"3 o' clock."  
"In The Morning!"  
"No. The afternoon. You've been sleeping for over 24 hours."  
"What!"

"You've been sleeping for 36 hours, to be exact."

"..."

"Well. It's no use just sitting here. Let's get working."


	3. Chapter 3

The forest was barren. No living thing to be seen, except for enormous trees which sheltered the earthy dirt and a possible fern, bush, or flower every so often. A soft breeze flowed through the leaves, slightly ruffling the Irishman's red hair under his tophat. 'I think I'm going bonkers.' He laughed at the thought. 'As if I wasn't already...' The Hatter slowly picked his way through the dead landscape.  
After about 5 minutes of meandering, the Hatter found a hollowed log lying on the ground. He decided to stop for awhile and sit down. Thought collection isn't very hard to do, but when your thoughts are scattered, sometimes you cannot find them. Your thoughts may hide in the crevices of your mind, or under years and years of memories, ideas, and knowledge. The Hatters thoughts were so scattered, they could have been hiding in his pocket, underneath his fingernails, or beneath his feet.  
For the Hatter, thought collection was near impossible. He pondered and wondered. Plundered and thundered. Sought, wrought, and thought. Assessed. Addressed. Confessed. Believed, conceived, and retrieved .He reckoned. He guessed. He imagined. He supposed. He was trying so hard to gather his thoughts that he did not realize the rain. He sat on the log in the rain for hours and got virtually nowhere with his thought gathering.

 

Planning out trade routes wasn't exactly a piece of cake. You had to take into consideration where people had their homes, the transportation needed to get through the route, weather patterns, land area, environment, animals, equipment, costs, profits, and all that sort of mumbo-jumbo. It didn't help Alice to be tired. The coffee she was drinking was just not doing the trick this particular morning.  
"Miss Alice?"

"..."

"Miss Alice."

"..."

"Alice!"

"..."

"Miss! Alice!"

"..."

"ALICE!"  
Alice was jolted back to the trade route conference by the yell of her trusted assistant, Revington.  
"Huh? What?" she slurred.  
Revington sighed, frustrated, "Miss Alice, we were just talking about the risks in making a trade route through Hong Kong and Beijing."  
"Oh. Um... Well... They're both big cities... I don't really see too much risk in it."

After the conference was finished, Alice and Revington waited outside the elevators for one to open up and take them to the ground level.  
"Alice..." Revington began slowly.  
She winced at the fact that he did not address her as 'Miss'. It felt strange.  
"Um... yes, Revington?"  
"Is everything alright? You've been very spacey all day..."  
"I thank you for your concern, but I am perfectly fine."  
"If anything is bothering you, please, let me know, ok Alice?" he finished gently.  
Unsure of what to say, Alice replied slowly, "...ok..."


	4. Chapter 4

There was a rustling in the bushes behind him, snapping him back to deserted forest. The Hatter turned, glancing around for anything suspicious. There was nothing out of ordinary it seemed. Turning back around, the Hatter was unexpectedly greeted by McTwisp. He yelled out, startled.  
"What are you doing here?" the Hatter asked, confused.  
McTwisp was silent as her reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a golden watch and dangled it into front of the Hatter's face. Everything went black.

'He hugged the blonde girl tightly.  
"You could always stay you know..." There was a long pause. He felt as though he were suffocating. Finally, she answered.  
"I'm sorry... I must go. My family... they are waiting for me. There are questions still unanswered. Things that I need to do..."  
He was silent as the girl was hugging slowly pushed him away. He looked at her luscious golden hair, her beautifully pale skin, her gorgeous smile [even though it was sad].  
"Please..." he whispered hoarsely, fighting back tears, "Don't go..."  
He lightly tugged at her wrist, desperately thinking for something more to say. He gently glided his fingers, his palm, across her soft, warm cheek as he slowly pulled the girl into another hug. His face stopped inches from hers. Her rosy lips were so tempting he almost couldn't bare it. A little ashamed, he glanced sideways, noticing they had an audience. Malymkun. McTwisp. The March Hare. Etcetera.  
"Please..." he said again.  
"I'm sorry." she repeated.He mouthed her name. No sound came out.

"...I..."  
The girl smiled sadly as she slowly started to fade away. "I'll come back for you one day. I promise."  
"...You won't remember me..." he sighed miserably.  
"How could I ever forget you? I would never forget." she reassured him sweetly.  
Again, he mutely said her name.  
"...please..."  
"...Farewell." she quietly waved as she completely disappeared.  
"No! Wait!" There was the silence again as he shouted her name, desperately crying out for her. "Don't go!" He fell to his knees, angry with himself for letting her get away. Covering his face with his hands, he relieved the hot tears.  
He cried into his hands, "Don't go! Don't go! You can't go! Don't leave! Don't go!-" '

"ALICE!" the Hatter yelled as he was jolted out of his nightmarish dream, remembering what happened. The man breathed heavily as he heard his voice echo in the huge empty room.  
"Oh!" he breathed into his hands, the hot flood of tears draining down his sweaty face.

When the tears dried, he looked at his surroundings. 'Where am I? How did I get here?' He had found himself in a large white room. There were two windows to his right, where soft sunlight leaked through light blue, silk curtains. To his left, precisely in the middle of the wall, there was a mahogany door with a green marble doorknob. He was sitting in the middle of a king-size bed, 4 orange, down pillows were lying behind him. The comforter was royal red in color with 2 inches of gold trim outlining it. There was a maple nightstand with 2 drawers beside the bed on the left. On the floor, was wall to wall beige carpeting. The room had an overall comforting feel to it. This put the Hatter at ease.

He dragged himself from the bed, meandering across the floor towards the nearest back the curtain; he revealed a large area of woodland. Not dead or deserted like where he had been just before. There a pond, sparkling in the early morning sun, to the right. And the white, puffy clouds looked softer than silk.

Suddenly, the image began to shiver. The Hatter was not prepared for what happened next.


	5. Chapter 5

Soft, bright morning sunshine shone through the silk curtains of her hotel room. Alice sleepily climbed out of bed with a grace that no mere mortal could or should ever possess. After changing out of her pajamas, Alice floated towards the window. Pulling back the curtain, it revealed the ocean sparkling in the early morning. The tall skyscrapers looked as though they just barely kissed the clouds. Absentmindedly, she reached her hand up towards the window. She flattened her fingers and palm against the hard, cool surface. Gazing back towards the ocean, she realized it was no longer visible. Instead, she saw what seemed to be a white room. On the far end of the room on the wall opposite her was a door with a glass handle. The walls were a slight off-white color. The beige carpet ran from wall to wall, blanketing the flooring underneath. There was a bed to the left. It was a royal red color with golden trim. It looked more comfortable than the softest cloud. The room was simple, yet complicated.

As she continued to look around through the glass she noticed a hand. It was mirroring hers on the other side of the window pane. She gazed along the arm that lead up to a face that looked oddly familiar. It was obvious by his features that the man staring back at her was Irish. His hair sort of stuck out in an odd way. The man's skin was as pale as porcelain, his hair as orange as the sunset in Africa. His piercing green eyes were hypnotizing. She stared in wonder at the man before her, reaching with her other hand towards the glass. As she put rested her other hand on the mirror, it became warm to the touch. Her hand had founds it way to the middle of the image, just about where the Irishman's heart should have been. Her mouth was slightly open in awe and wonder. As she continued to stare like a child in a candy store, she noted that he was wearing a top hat.

Suddenly, the man smiled at her as he reached out his other hand in an attempt to touch her face. His fingernails clinked against the glass. Looking frustrated, his smile faded into a sad frown. Concerned, Alice tilted her head in question. He looked at her with what seemed like tears in his eyes. He mouthed a word. Just one word. But she couldn't make it out. Thinking for a minute, she scratched her head. Then she leaned close to the glass, breathing on it, creating a circle of fog. She smiled at her genius idea and wrote inside the fog.  
[Hello.]  
The man seemed impressed and his frown faded into a smirk. He copied her actions.  
[Hello, my lady.]  
She smiled.  
[How are you, kind sir?]  
[I've been better... How about you?]  
[I'm doing great!]  
There was a long pause. After about 5 minutes of 'silence', the Irishman wrote something.  
[I miss you.]  
Confused, she looked up at him. He seemed sad again.  
Fogging up the window, she started writing.  
[Who ar-]  
But her sentence was cut off.  
"Alice!" Revington shouted as he walked quickly into her room. Jumping from the sudden noise, Alice turned away from the window, her hand still on it.  
"Yes? What is it, Revington?"  
"An emergency meeting has been called. It is imperative that you be there. I'll wait downstairs for you to ready yourself. You have about 45 minutes."  
And he ran out the door, closing it behind him, not allowing her to respond.  
She turned back to the glass, only to be disappointed. The ocean was now back in view. The room, along with the Irishman, was gone. She frowned, unhappy about Revington's interruption. Cursing under her breath, she breathed on the window one last time.  
[Who are you?]


	6. Chapter 6

The Hatter stared in awe. Did that really just happen? Or is he madder than he thought? She couldn't hear when he said her name, as he saw her reflection. But they had written messages to each other on a fogged window pane. The Hatter suddenly felt a rush of anger towards himself. Remembering their short, but sweet, conversation. 'Why did I say that? There's not a chance in all of Underland that she could remember me.' Even though he had to admit that he still hoped for that tiny chance. Turning his attention away from what he had said, he realized it was a man that had burst into Alice's room. This filled him with a jealous rage. Who was that man? And what was his relation to Alice? What if... No! That could never be possible. Alice belonged to him and none other than he alone. He just couldn't allow it.

A light knock on the door echo through the room, snatching the Hatter's full attention.  
"...Yes?" the Hatter answered unsurely.  
There was a pause. Then, a familiar voice crept through the door.  
"Are you feeling alright?" Mirana's voice rang softly, kindly.  
"...Yes... I'll be alright... No need to worry about me, your highness."  
Mirana poked her head inside the room. A comforting smile on her face.  
"Tarrant. Try not to be so down about what happened on Frabjous Day. I understand you miss her. I understand you're holding a great burden on your shoulders. And I understand that you are suffering the pain of loss. But don't you think it's time you go back to your normal life? Malykun, McTwisp and the March Hare are all worried about you. They say you haven't been yourself since she left. We all want you to be happy. We're all here for if you ever need us. You do know that, right? Please, cheer up. It's hard for anyone to be happy when the most joyful one of us all is not feeling the least bit merry."  
He stood there for a long moment. Turning over and over everything the queen just said.  
"I guess you're right... You do have a point." he mumbled glumly.  
Mirana continued, "I'm sorry about having McTwisp put you to sleep for awhile. I just didn't want you to be out there alone after dark. Malymkun was frightened that something may happen to you. For such a small dormouse, she has a large heart."  
Mirana left without another word. Tarrant looked at the window one last time before following Mirana outside the door.

Alice bitterly made her way downstairs to meet Revington. 'Why did he have to barge in? Why is he acting so strangely? This has been going on for weeks! What is his problem?' Anger bubbled up inside her as she stomped out of the elevator and onto the ground floor. She walked hastily past Revington and towards the doors, knowing he would follow like a lost puppy dog. Once outside, she stormed towards the park about 1/8 mile to the left of the hotel, Revington feebly trying to match her pace

Sitting grumpily on a park bench she waited a minute for Revington to catch up.  
"Alice." he sighed, leaning over trying to catch his breath.  
She glared at him in response. He waited patiently to catch his breath before continuing.  
"Alice. Why the angry face? ...It doesn't suit you."  
Still she refused to answer.  
"What? What happened? Did I do something wrong?"  
Alice stubbornly turned her face away.  
Unable to handle being ignored any longer, Revington quickly, but gently, snatched her face, turning it towards him. He planted a deep passionate kiss on her lips.

Dumbfounded, stunned, surprised, shocked, awestruck, and horrified, Alice was frozen. Her anger completely doused by her horror. Slowly coming to her senses, she shoved him back making him almost fall over.  
"Revington!" she guffawed.  
Revington grabbed her hand, bending down on one knee. He smiled shyly, yet confidently. "Alice Kingsleigh." he stated formally while pulling something out of his pocket, "You are such a fine young woman. I am proud to say that I have grown fond of you." He placed a small black box in her free hand.  
"Wha-" she protested only to be cut off.  
Revington put a finger over her lips. "Let me finish. Please."  
He opened the small box for her, revealing a sparkling diamond ring that was simple, yet expensive looking. She gasped, unsure of what was going on.  
"Will you marry me?"  
Alice was speechless. 'What?'  
Again, Revington waited patiently.  
'Come on! Give him an answer. You don't have all day!' There were so many things to consider. She was getting more and more confused just trying to collect a straight answer. Finally she thought of a valid response.  
"I... I'm sorry, Revington. I... Just... I need some time... to... consider... Alright?" she forced out.  
Revington's facial expression was unmoved.  
"I need one week." she finished.  
He patted her hand and kissed her forehead.  
"One week it is, my lady." He paused, "Shall I escort you back to the hotel?"  
She couldn't help but wince as she noticed his pronunciation on 'my'.  
"What about the urgent meeting?"  
"This was the urgent meeting." he winked.


	7. Chapter 7

Dinner that night was not as grand as he had hoped. Tarrant was hoping for a joyous meal full of significant flavor and vibrant color. But all he found was bland taste and dull grays. He couldn't seem to pull his mind out of the cloud of misery that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Not even the March Hare's silly antics could brighten his mood. 'Could that really have been her? If that was her, then could she possibly remember me? Who was that man? Why did he seem so oddly familiar? Why am I feeling so jealous?' he pondered. He played with the food sitting on his plate, not wanting to eat another bite. Tossing his thoughts around and around in his head. He started feeling a little dizzy. Violently, he stabbed an innocent carrot sitting on his plate. In doing so, his fork and plate clanged loudly, making everyone stop in their tracks and stare at him. Tarrant glanced around, embarrassed. They quickly continued on with their meals before he could say a thing.

He dared to glance around the large table once more. He was dying to strike up a conversation with someone. Anyone would do. He noticed McTwisp sitting a few chairs away from him. The Hatter envied his youth. McTwisp's eyes were definitely bigger than his stomach. His plate was piled high with fresh carrots, collard greens, broccoli, and cauliflower. Tarrant decided to pass on having a chat with McTwisp and carried on around the two seats down from McTwisp, was Mallymkun. The feisty mouse was obviously angry with him. With her moodiness lately, she probably wouldn't talk to him for a long while. The thought hurt. He hadn't a clue what he could have done to make his dear friend so upset. But nonetheless, he passed her as well. Then there was Queen Mirana. She was always kind, never judging. However, Tarrant didn't feel like having a really happy conversation. He wasn't in the mood for anyone trying to cheer him up. Everyone else was either content on their food, or talking with someone else. Gloomy, the Hatter got up, pushed his chair in, and walked out of the dining was headed for the balcony on the third floor of Mirana's castle when an idea struck him. Hoping he was right, he hastily headed back to his room.


	8. Chapter 8

Once he was back in the familiar room, he walked swiftly to the window from before. His gaze set on something unseen, he placed both his hands on the window. Tarrant wasn't sure what he was trying to do, but he had a feeling it might be able to bring Alice to him. He felt as though the snow outside was beckoning him, urging him on to do whatever it was he was doing. Determined, he knocked, just ever so slightly, on the cold, fogged up glass. Then again. And again. And again. Then he could see it. He could see her.

 

The room was cold, and almost lonely. Alice was bored out of her mind, curled up into a puffy bundle of blankets on the large hotel suite bed. The news, being the only minutely entertaining thing to watch on television, had been broad casting about a heavy snow storm overhead. Apparently there would be over 6 feet of snow. She glanced toward the window. It was just once big cloud of grey fog. There was a light knocking coming from the door. "Go away Revington. It's only been 3 hours." There was no response. "How peculiar," Alice mumbled to herself, as she untangled herself from the mountain of blankets. She walked over to the door, peeking through the glass hole. Nobody was there. I must be going mad, she thought as she turned around to go back to her shelter of blankets. Once she had snuggled back into her spot, there was another knock. Then another. And still another. But this time, the knock came from the window. Alice whipped around just in time to see a hand sticking through the window. Before she could scream, the rest of the body that went with the hand fall through the closed window, and into her room. There was a loud crash as the body landed heavily on the floor. Alice jumped out of her protective barrier of blankets and over to the man that had just fallen through her window. Miraculously, the window was fully in tact and seemingly untouched. Cautiously, she reached out a hand and nudged the pale figure. She studied the man as he slowly hoisted himself to his feet. He looked familiar. Orange hair, sticking out in odd ways. A top hat. Paler skin than a china doll. When he opened his eyes, they were the most hypnotizing green. "What? You look like you've never seen me before," the man said in an almost gruff voice. "Oh, sorry," Alice blushed, realizing she had been staring at him. After a moment, she glanced at him again. 'This man. Could he be? No. That's impossible,' she reasoned with herself. At that moment, he held out his hand to her. "It's nice to see you again, milady," the redhead smiled softly as he bowed like a gentleman. Alice took his hand, unsure, and shook it firmly. "You as well." Something seemed to click on in her mind as she touched the man's hand. A lightbulb went off somewhere in the depths of her memory. This man. He couldn't be. There was no way. Gasping, her eyes widened. An awkward silence fell upon them as realization settled in. This was actually happening. They were in the same room together, exchanging words.

 

The Hatter was in a daze. This was all a dream, it had to be, there was no possible way that he could have fallen through a window and appear in this situation, and at this very moment. But he was. "You," was all that came out of her mouth as her hand fell limply back to her side. She looked almost horrified. Tarrant wasn't sure whether to be overly ecstatic or deeply concerned. They stared at each other in silence for what seemed like hours. Hesitantly, Alice began again, "... You... Wonderland... no... Underland... Hatter?... You are... The Mad Hatter."


	9. Chapter 9

A Cheshire grin spread across the Irishman's face. She remembered. He was overflowing with joy to the point that he could futterwack for weeks straight. The Hatter settled for a 60 second futterwack instead, bowing and tipping his hat at the end.  
"The one and only, Tarrant Hightop, at your service, milady."  
Still grinning, he stole her hand and gave it a chaste kiss. The moment was his now. He knelt on one knee, looking up at Alice's glowing face.  
"Alice Kingsleigh. The Alice Kingsleigh. It is an honor to be by your side once again. May I have the honor of having you by my side for the rest my life in Underland?" he whispered, almost afraid to hear her answer.

 

Their first encounter in what seemed like forever, and he was already proposing such silly things. But, it made her smile, her eyes watering from happiness. Alice opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off as a knock sounded on the door.  
Both heads whipped around and stared at the door. It was quiet.

"Yes? Who is it?" Alice asked.

"It's me. Revington."

She rolled her eyes. It had only been a few hours since his proposal and he was already at her door. Wait. Proposed. He proposed to me... and... I think Hatter just did as well... what should I do? Alice realized. This was a problem.

"Um... What do you need?"

"I was wondering if you were all right in there. I didn't want you thinking yourself to death in here. I figured you might need some company, you know, to break the silence. May I come in?" Revington babbled.

"Oh, no. I, uh... I'm fine. Thank you though, Revington. It was a kind gesture."

The Hatter looked a little taken aback.

"Who is that?" he mouthed, pointing to the door.

"He is a business partner. One of my assistants." Alice replied, keeping her voice hushed.

"Who are you whispering to in there?" Revington perked up.

The door slowly creaked open as Revington, uninvited, stepped in the room. His face looked more than utterly shocked.

"Alice. Who is he? And why is he in your room? Where did he come from? What were you two doing?" Revington asked, accusingly.

"Revington," she cleared her throat, "Meet Tarrant Hightop, an old friend of mine. He happened to be in the area and stopped by to say hello."

"I see... Sorry to intrude," he mumbled, more to himself, as he bowed out of the room.

"I'll be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere," Alice instructed the Hatter, who nodded, suspicious.

She followed Revington out the door, calling after him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she said guiltily.

"It's ok. I understand. I had a feeling this wouldn't work," he smiled sadly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Excuse me?" Alice said bewildered.

"He is your new fiancee, correct?"

"Oh... yeah. I guess he is..."

"I always knew there was another man in your heart. Now go back to him."

"Do you remember all of my business plans? Can I trust you to carry them through until the end?"

"Of course, Miss Alice. I will take care of everything," Revington nodded.

"Thank you, Revington. You are the best assistant a girl could ask for."

With that, Alice turned and almost ran back to her room. She had to give the Hatter her answer. As she reached the door, she paused. Is this truly what I want? No. That's silly. Of course it's what I want. I can't have doubts now, she reasoned with herself. In one swift movement, she pushed the door open, stepped in, and shut it behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

Tarrant had been sitting on the corner of the bed, staring at the window he had previously fallen through moments ago. He couldn't help but wonder if it was possible to fall back through the window to get back to Underland. The door creaked open behind him, making him turn around. Alice had stepped back into the room. She seemed a little anxious as she walked over to him, smiling brightly. Standing up, the Hatter returned her smile.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yes, everything is just fine. Revington is going to take care of things for me."

"Take care of things? Wait... Does that mean... you're coming with me?" Tarrant thought aloud.

"Yes. Yes, it does." she said hugging him gleefully.

He had never been happier in his life. The Hatter put his arms around Alice, returning her embrace.

"Are you ready to go, then?" he whispered into her ear.

Determined, she cut their embrace, catching his hand, and nodded furiously. The Hatter walked over to the window, Alice in tow. Smiling at her reassuringly, he placed her hand on the window along with his, and pushed, just ever so slightly. The same thing happened as before. The room seemed to shift under their feet. Then everything tilted and there a feeling of weightlessness, then falling.

Tarrant landed hard on his bottom on an all too familiar carpet. He glanced around, checking for Alice, who was still right next to him. Grabbing her hand once again, he helped her to her feet.

"Come on. You have to say hello to everyone."

Alice was silent as they walked, hand in hand, to the dining hall where the Hatter had left everyone.

Upon entering the room, everyone turned their heads.

"Alice!" they cried, standing and running to her for hugs, hand shakes, and greetings.

She returned every embrace and greeting with a fluorescent Cheshire grin.

"We've all missed you," Tarrant mumbled to her, "I'm glad you're home."

"It's good to be home," she hummed.


End file.
